What Is Entire Operations?

This document covers the following topics:

Introduction

Entire Operations (product code: NOP) is Software AG's system for the automated control and scheduling of job networks. It provides all the functions required to define any type of background processing.

Entire Operations behaves according to the rules specified using a comfortable user interface that guides the user with task-oriented features.

The user interface of Entire Operations is available in English and German. Each user can set the language individually.

Entire Operations requires no modification to underlying operating system or to any of the subsystems installed at your site. Existing JCL can be put under Entire Operations control unchanged, allowing a smooth transition of your existing production control methods to automatic scheduling.

Entire Operations schedules and controls job networks:

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Standard security packages such as RACF, ACF2, CA-TOP SECRET or SECOS are supported, allowing Entire Operations to honor existing security profiles.

For the execution of batch jobs and scripts, Entire Operations uses clearly defined interfaces to installed spooling systems or equivalent operating system utilities.

More than a Scheduler

In addition to the core functionality of Entire Operations described in the previous sections, Entire Operations offers the following features:

Control Across Operating Systems

  • Mainframe environments:

    Entire Operations can be installed on any of the mainframe operating systems z/OS, z/VSE and BS2000 running with TP monitor/online systems, such as Com-plete, CICS, TSO, IMS TM, openUTM or TIAM.

  • UNIX:
    Entire Operations can also be installed on a number of UNIX platforms. It controls production processes on UNIX systems (for example, HP-UX, SINIX RM, AIX, Sun Solaris, Linux), in conjunction with a mainframe or UNIX environment. You can manage your production from any operating system on which Entire Operations can run, or use Entire Operations to control several UNIX and Windows machines.

  • Windows:
    Entire Operations controls the production processes under Windows.

Background processes running in heterogeneous multi-CPU configurations can also be controlled and monitored by Entire Operations if the computers are interlinked with Software AG's communication service Entire Net-Work. In such a distributed environment, job networks can consist of processing steps that execute on different operating systems.

Entire Operations in a Multiple Operating System Environment

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While the Entire Operations Monitor program handles the distribution and decentralized execution of processing steps, this type of distributed processing can still be monitored and controlled centrally from a single point of management.

Intelligent Process Control

Automating any type of operation requires thorough advance planning in order to map the processes in the language of the automation tool. Experience shows, however, that tomorrow's reality often differs from today's plan. One can, of course, anticipate a number of exceptional situations and plan accordingly; and it goes without saying that Entire Operations provides a wide range of features that enable it to react appropriately whenever such a situation arises.

However, the extent to which you can anticipate possible system situations and their consequences is limited; especially in large job network topologies, each new fork in processing adds to the system's complexity, which is neither desirable nor necessarily helpful.

Entire Operations addresses this problem by allowing you to define variable processing steps. For example, executable job control can be built dynamically according to current system conditions such as disk space, content of system queues and availability of specific files. In other words, job control can "read" a current situation and adapt accordingly.

Natural programs and user exits allow you to map any conceivable decision criterion and put all relevant data at your disposal, thanks to Natural interfaces to all commonly used data management and operating systems - even and especially in heterogeneous computer networks.

It is then no longer necessary to think of each and every possible problem situation and spend time and money in defining remedial action before processing starts. All you need to do is specify strategies (= programs) that recognize and rectify problems as they occur.

Integration of Other Applications

Have you never been annoyed by the sheer number of applications or programs you need for your daily work? Depending on the software configuration at your site, you either have to go through tiresome logon and logoff procedures, or suspend and resume application sessions using a session manager (often to the detriment of system resources).

Entire Operations provides the option to integrate other applications. If any other products from the Entire Systems Management line are installed, Entire Operations recognizes and includes them. These are, for example:

  • Entire Output Management

  • Entire Event Management

  • Entire System Server

  • Natural ISPF

Integration of People in Automated Operations

Aside from this technical integration capability, Entire Operations can also integrate people by providing a mailbox concept to combine background processing with user interaction:

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At specified times during background processing, messages or prompts can be sent to such mailboxes. This has the twin effect of halting processing and informing all users with access to the mailbox of the situation. These users can react as the situation demands, for example, check a result or enter a symbol when prompted to continue processing.

This mechanism enables selected employees to provide input relevant to their department, while background processing as a whole still remains under central control.

Summary of Benefits

The basic advantages of using Entire Operations to automate your data processing tasks can be summarized as follows:

  • Transparent support of several computer nodes, even in heterogeneous environments comprised of z/OS, BS2000, z/VSE, UNIX and Windows operating systems;

  • Available in many mainframe and UNIX environments supported by Natural, for example: Com-plete, CICS, TSO, IMS TM, CMS, openUTM and TIAM;

  • Available in English and German;

  • Existing JCL runs unchanged under Entire Operations;

  • No modifications are necessary to the operating system;

  • Use of dynamically-built JCL or scripts, thus integrating the latest information from the operating system or any available database at execution time;

  • Integration of online users into batch network processing through the concept of mailboxes;

  • Open interface to user applications: information from Entire Operations can be included in any business application, users can provide input data necessary for daily or future production runs.